1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for managing impact against a spare tire mounted and carried within a compartment of a motor vehicle.
2. Disclosure Information
The handling of a spare tire during an impact event against a motor vehicle presents a challenge to vehicle designers because a spare tire, including a tire and wheel, possesses a good deal of column strength, which if not accounted for properly, could constrict the ability of the vehicle to absorb collision energy by crushing axially. Earlier collision management work involving spare tires, such as that evidenced in U.S. Pat. No. 4,533,169, uses the rim of a spare wheel to brace the floor of a vehicle against excessive deformation, so as to protect a fuel tank adjacent to the vehicle's floor. The purpose of the present invention is otherwise—here it is desired to prevent a spare tire from playing a significant role in the absorption of energy during a collision.
A method and system according to the present invention effectively removes the spare tire from the plastic deformation component of crash energy management by assuring that the spare tire is both rapidly deflated and prevented from relocating within a storage compartment during an impact event.